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"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is an episode of the American situation comedy series Roseanne. Written by James Berg and Stan Zimmerman and directed by Philip Charles MacKenzie, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was the 18th episode of season 6. It follows lead character Roseanne Conner on her visit to a gay bar. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" originally aired on March 1, 1994. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" generated enormous controversy before it aired because it included a same-sex kiss between Roseanne and Sharon, played by guest star Mariel Hemingway. ABC initially planned not to air the episode. The network eventually relented and the episode was viewed by an audience of some 30 million people. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was an early entry on a list of American television episodes in which a lesbian or possibly lesbian character kisses a straight-identifying character. These lesbian kiss episodes often occurred during times of the year when networks were most concerned about generating ratings, and have come to be viewed by some critics as gimmicks to help secure those ratings. The controversy that often accompanied these episodes led to a chilling effect on the non-sensationalized presentation of same-sex intimacy on network television through most of the rest of the 1990s.
Original Release
03/01/1994
US Release
03/01/1994
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
John Goodman | Dan Conner |
Laurie Metcalf | Jackie Harris |
Sara Gilbert | Darlene Conner |
Sarah Chalke | Becky Conner-Healy |
Sandra Bernhard | Nancy Bartlett |
Glenn Quinn | Mark Healy |
Johnny Galecki | David Healy |
Martin Mull | Leon Carp |
David Donah | Dean Bates |
Mariel Hemingway | Sharon |
Directors
Writers
James Berg, Stan Zimmerman, Michael Borkow
Creators
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
John Goodman | Dan Conner |
Laurie Metcalf | Jackie Harris |
Sara Gilbert | Darlene Conner |
Sarah Chalke | Becky Conner-Healy |
Sandra Bernhard | Nancy Bartlett |
Glenn Quinn | Mark Healy |
Johnny Galecki | David Healy |
Martin Mull | Leon Carp |
David Donah | Dean Bates |
Mariel Hemingway | Sharon |
Lois Bromfield | Blonde Who Cruises Jackie |
Laura Kightlinger | Marge |
Joanne K. Liebeler | Jackie's Mail Carrier |
Roseanne Barr | Roseanne Conner |
Zippy | D.J. Conner |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Roseanne Barr | Executive Producer |
Tom Arnold | Executive Producer |
Marcy Carsey | Executive Producer |
Rob Ulin | Executive Producer |
Tom Werner | Executive Producer |
Kevin Abbott | Producer |
James Berg | Producer |
Michael Borkow | Producer |
Jay Daniel | Producer |
Eric Gilliland | Producer |
Al Lowenstein | Producer |
Amy Sherman-Palladino | Producer |
Barbara Stoll | Producer |
Miriam Trogdon | Producer |
Stan Zimmerman | Producer |